National Waterline Museum

The newly opened Waterlinie Museum located at Fort Vechten tells the impressive story of the 300-year-old Hollandse Waterlinie [The Dutch Waterline, also known as Water Defences]. Together with IJsfontein, exhibition designer Platvorm created the permanent ‘Strong Water’ exhibition for this museum. Duinzand created the storyline. It is an interactive exploration of the operation and history of the Old and New Hollandse Waterlinie. IJsfontein was able to create an interactive media experience using games, films and animation, projections on felt figures and even a Virtual Reality parachute jump over the Netherlands. With an interactive band around your wrist, you walk through the museum and trigger all sorts of events. The main story is told by five prominent persons in the history of the line.

Felt figures come to life

Platvorm created beautiful life-sized felt figures and we brought them to life with our projections. The felt figures depict the faces of famous and less famous historical figures. The story they tell can vary per visitor as visitors activate the figures themselves using the RFID wristband they receive upon arrival. The wristband is set to the visitor’s language and the area in which he/she lives; in front of, in or behind the waterline. After all, the place where you live is very crucial; if a disaster occurred, would you be protected from the water or not? Thanks to this set-up, the various stories become personal.

Experience the Waterline from the air using the Oculus Rift

In a specially designed moving chair with your legs dangling in the air, you place the Oculus Virtual Reality headset on your head. Once you wear the headset you’ll still see the Waterline Museum, but instead in a virtual environment. Furthermore, you’ll be moving. Slowly you will float out of the building and go higher and higher into the sky until you gain a complete view of the waterline. Gravity is then turned on and you will suddenly fall down while the story of the waterline is told and visualised on the landscape below you. Fortunately, halfway down the parachute opens. A truly unique virtual reality experience!

Interactive drawing board

On an interactive drawing board, visitors are challenged to come up with and draw the location of where they think the waterline was located. If you do so, the map comes to life. Your drawing and the answers you provide are part of an animated film that explains where the Waterline was located and why precisely there.

Open the valves!

Never in the history of the waterline was it actually put to use as a defensive measure against the dangers of water. However, with our gamer table you can simulate such an event as if it really happened! You’ll be provided troops, forts and water to defend the land. You’ll experience how to keep the enemy at bay by opening valves and filling the Waterline with the right amount of water. But beware! If you fill it with too much water, the enemy will sale across with its ships and you’ll lose.

Film

An eight meter wide film is projected on a semi-circular wall. The story is about Holland during World War I.
Under the art and video direction of IJsfontein, a film was made about the life of everyday soldiers during the war. To achieve this, unique archival footage was used. We delayed, stabilised, edited and reframed the footage. As a result, the images are less choppy, do not have the ‘slapstick’ effect of old movies and generally look more modern. On the basis of photographs and archival footage, 3D 4K animations were created so that this history could be brought to life on the big screen. In this way, the images fit better with the mood of the story that is told. Furthermore, the music by Erik Henze beautifully accompanies the film. Watch the trailer below:

Reviews

‘The Waterlinie Museum is probably the most fun, exciting and interactive museum we’ve ever visited with our children. Technology, storytelling and architecture are smartly combined in a 2 hour visit. This museum is an absolute must for children of 6 years and older (and their parents)’ Read the full review here.